🎨 Making Things With Joy: An Update From My Creative Corner

I wanted to provide a glimpse into my creative corner and the artistic projects I have been working on. My venture into painting on clothing is bringing sparks of joy, yet there are also learning curves and at times disappointing results and frustrations. My first foray was painting this jean jumper with flowers and hearts. At some point inspiration struck to add a cute little frog peeking out of the pocket. The way little Sprig (yes I named her) turned out was just so joyful for me.

Little Sprig really got the creative juices flowing and I was onto a whole concept about Wearing Your Joy and including little animal pocket friends. There is actually a whole world I’ve been creating and the ideas have been swirling and expanding. There is an octopus named Indigo and an otter named Ollie. In fact it is Sprig, Indigo and Ollie that I explored having made into iron-on patches. The representative at the company was very kind and helpful. I did a limited test run to see how they would turn out and they are so sweet looking. Funny how one little frog peeking out of a pocket has become it’s own little world. 🐸🌻✨

There is definitely more to unveil at a later time, but currently I am still experimenting and learning about paint options for clothing in regards to fading and cracking.

This pair of jeans that I painted for my mom feature another little pocket friend named Wiggles (the caterpillar). If you look closely you will also see a label appearing on the waistband above the pocket with the heart that reads Idakazoo. This is the brand name I have chosen for these creative clothing projects and I had sweet little woven labels made.

In all transparency sometimes doubts creep in about this little journey I have started. Yes there is the space where creativity and joy intermingle, but sometimes expectations can run interference. Visualizing clearly what I want to create usually thrills me. It is the next part of the creative process: putting pencil to paper, paintbrush to canvas, thread through cloth, wire through beads or glue under rhinestones that forms my challenge. Will my current skills help me bring that vision to life?  This is where my enjoyment of creating can become wrapped up in whether or not my attempt to achieve the vision is proving to be successful or not.

What do I do if I deem my painting techniques insufficient? Do I throw my hands up after watching an embroidery video three times and find myself bewildered on how to achieve a particular stitch? Do I toss the craft project into a tote bag and place it on a shelf in the garage where it joins the crafting cemetery? (Confession…too often this is where they end up.)

I continually try to remove the pressure of getting results and return to enjoying the journey. Creating for the sake of creating. I’ve been reminding myself that the point isn’t always to produce something beautiful. Sometimes the point is simply to spend an afternoon making something. To play. To experiment. To learn. To keep creating even when the outcome is uncertain.

There is growing research that shows that creative expression can support emotional well-being, reduce stress, and help us process life’s challenges. While I won’t dive deeply into the science here, I’ve always been fascinated by the connection between creativity and healing.

One person who has profoundly influenced my own creative journey is artist and teacher Shiloh Sophia McCloud. I’ve known Shiloh for more than sixteen years and have had the privilege of sitting in circle with her many times. She has devoted much of her life’s work to what she calls Intentional Creativity—the idea that the creative process itself can be restorative and transformative.

If this topic interests you, here are a couple places to begin exploring:

• Shiloh Sophia McCloud – MUSEA: Center for Intentional Creativity and Consciousness
• American Scientist – “How Art Can Heal”

As an amusing detour I wanted to share that sometimes creative experiments may expand beyond fabric and paint. I found myself standing in the bathroom with plastic wrap wrapped around my head while my spouse asked if I was trying to communicate with aliens. Fair question. It was all in pursuit of a few tiny ribbons of blue tucked into my silver hair. Apparently this isn’t my first attempt at communicating with extraterrestrials. Several years ago we stumbled upon an alien mailbox in the middle of the Death Valley desert.

Some projects may never be finished. Some experiments won’t turn out the way I imagined. Others might surprise me. Either way, I’ve decided I’d rather spend my life making things than wondering what might have happened if I’d never started.

And every now and then, that might even include adding a few fun shades of color to my hair.  🌻✨